The demand for VIP-vacation in the UK has increased among Russian tourists

British hoteliers have said that this year the demand for expensive accommodation in England has increased from Russian tourists. Tour operators, working on the destination, confirm: tourists want more “premium” here. 

The Russian tourist flow to Britain is stable this year: both sightseeing and educational tours are in demand, and also authorial tours to the little-known places in the UK are on the good level. 

There are no global changes in duration of stay compared with the previous year - on average it is 8 days at hotels mostly of 3-4* level.  

But in the segment of premium tours this year there has been a growth. This was told by Elena Gorokhova, the head of the UK and Ireland department of BSI Group tour operator at the event, dedicated to the Days of British Tourism in Moscow. 

“The demand for tours in the VIP segment is already significantly higher than last year. Tourists are increasingly booking additional VIP services in England, for example, premium transfers, individual excursion programs and high-class hotels,” said Ms. Gorokhova. 

What was the reason for the increase in bookings in this segment? The expert believes that both the relatively stable Ruble exchange rate and the generally high purchasing power of the residents of the capital region – the residents of Moscow region have the lion's share of tourist traffic from the Russian Federation to the UK. 

Aziza Essi, the representative of The Grand York 5* hotel in York (by the way, the only five-star hotel in the city) said that. According to official statistics, in 2018 the city hosted 48% more Russian tourists than a year earlier.